[Iclickart]
South Korea's smoking rate fell slightly last year thanks to a price hike and an aggressive anti-smoking campaign, but the use of electronic cigarettes has increased, official data showed Tuesday.
Some 57,000 die every year in South Korea due to smoking-related diseases. From January 1 last year, the average price of cigarettes soared 80 percent from 2,500 won (2.12 US dollars) per pack to 4,500 won as part of a government-led anti-smoking campaign.
As a result, the overall smoking rate among South Korean adults fell to 22.6 percent last year from 24.2 percent a year ago, the health ministry said.
The smoking rate among men dropped from 43.1 percent in 2014 to 39.3 percent last year -- the lowest rate since government agencies began compiling related data from 1998. The rate among women dropped from 5.7 percent to 5.5 percent.
In 2015, cigarette sales posted a 23.7 percent drop but tax revenue from tobacco sales soared 51.3 percent on-year to 10.5 trillion won. The use of e-cigarettes rose from 4.4 percent to 7.1 percent.
The ministry vowed to try and reduce the smoking rate among men to 29 percent by 2020 by stepping up its campaign that would include tightened control on tobacco ads and the expansion of anti-smoking areas. Currently, smoking is banned in restaurants, office buildings, bus stops and many public places.
Under a new health law, tobacco makers are required to present stronger warning messages and pictures on their packaging. At the end of this year, obligatory anti-smoking illustrations such as a diseased lung, a hole in a throat, and a row of rotten teeth will be put on cigarette products.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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